ARNOLD, Md. – A dramatic comeback in the bottom of the seventh earned the Anne Arundel Community College softball team a split with Howard Saturday afternoon in NJCAA Region 20 divisional action. Howard cruised to an 8-3 win in the first game before the Riverhawks walked off with a 13-12 win in the nightcap.
Game Two
The teams headed to the seventh with AACC comfortably in the lead, 9-5, but the Dragons scored seven runs in the inning to take their first lead of the game, 12-9. AACC had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the inning setting up three-straight singles to give the Riverhawks the win. Jayden Buchanan led off the hit parade with a single just out of reach of the Dragons' short stop. Addi Hurst drove in a pair of runs with a hit to right. It looked like AACC could have won the game on the play, but a chute from the Howard right fielder caught Buchanan out at the plate and the game continued on. Kendall Thomas had the heroic hit, tucking it inside the left field line to send Hurst across the plate for the winning run.
Hurst, who also made an impressive catch at the center field fence in the game, went 3-for-4 with six RBI and two runs scored, hitting a home run and a double. Thomas finished the game 4-for-5 with an RBI.
Howard's impressive seventh included three two-run home runs and a run-scoring double. The Dragons scored five runs in a two-out rally.
Hurst led off the scoring for AACC with a two-run home run to center in the first inning. Howard tied it up in the second on four hits.
AACC rattled off five hits in the second to score four runs before chasing out the Howard pitcher. The Riverhawks added another run in the third on a wild pitch.
The Howard leadoff batter reached via error in the fourth, and after a double from the next batter, the Dragons scored a pair on a single to center abetted by a Riverhawks' errant throw. After retiring AACC in order in the fourth, Howard scored another run in the fifth.
Rylee Gardner gave the Riverhawks two runs with her first collegiate home run that sailed over the center field fence.
Thomas earned the win with a third of an inning of relief work to improve to 2-1. Starter Makayla Blake struck out five while allowing 10 runs on 15 hits in 6.2 innings.
Game One
AACC took an early 3-0 lead on a Hurst triple and a two-run home run over the center field fence from Thomas in the first. But Howard scored at least one run in the second through sixth innings to claim the win.
The Riverhawks had runners in scoring position with two outs in the fourth, but an infield pop out ended the inning.
Thomas shouldered the loss allowing eight runs (six earned) on 12 hits in the game.
AACC is back in action on Wednesday in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Division I Harford Community College.
